Fire Strikes Rand-Whitney Plant in Worcester, MA

Worcester, MA, police are still investigating the cause of a Wednesday night fire that the Rand-Whitney Container building there.

There were no injuries in the fire, which began around 9 p.m. Damage was minimal.

When firefighters arrived, they found “heavy fire in the middle of the building, where large stacks of compacted wastepaper bales are kept,” according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

Firefighters said that the arrangement of bales of paper inside the building helped the fire grow in intensity.

When the fire was basically out, the paper said, a few Rand-Whitney forklift drivers went into the building and hauled out dozens of bales of paper. Some were still smoldering, the paper said; firefighters doused them.

Worcester Police say the fire it does not look suspicious.

Rand-Whitney Containerboard, which has a plant in Montville, is part of the Kraft Group. The company was founded by Robert Kraft, who also owns the New England Patriots.

It makes shipping cases, corrugated cardboard and similar packaging materials.